June 29, 2017

Bias Stripes and Buzzing Bees

This dress was a labor of love, because all those lovely stripes, well, they were not printed onto the fabric very straight. While matching stripes is always "fun" enough, matching stripes that slightly curve was, what are the kids saying these days? Extra...it was extra. Everything worked out in the end though, and I am well pleased with the final dress!

The only issue is that the neckline doesn't site perfectly flat against my collarbones because I had to accommodate for the angle of the stripes, a sacrifice I am willing to make for perfect stripes! A tip for hemming a striped or contrasting pattern dress/skirt like this one; hem by hand stitching with thread that matches the lighter color and then color in the stitches that end up over the dark sections with a marker when you're done. I hemmed this dress with the ivory thread and then carefully colored the stitches that landed over black stripes with a black marker so that all of the stitches became totally invisible. Because the stripes on this fabric were printed a bit crooked (more curved towards the selvages) I did end up having to cut the back of the dress with horizontal stripes instead of mirroring the chevron effect I did on the front. It was easier to deal with horizontal stripes over the center back zipper anyway, so that was actually helpful. The A-line skirt is cut so that the center front and back are mitered into points and then the side seams of both the front and back fall along a black stripe so that when the side seam is stitched it becomes a single black stripe down the side. Fun with stripes! This fabric is a thicker stretch cotton sateen from Mood Fabrics, and does come in navy blue stripes as well. Even with all of the extra work, I do sorta want to make another striped project already!

For this first wearing I paired the dress with one of my favorite hats and both black and red accessories. The nice thing about black and white is that any color will work for accessorizing, and I really want to wear this dress with orange or purple for a Halloween look later in the fall! Something about black and white stripes like this just says Halloween to me, I blame that great dress in the Sleepy Hollow film and other Tim Burton films for this association. For now it's summer sun and beautiful irises instead of pumpkins and spooks, not that I'm already excited for fall or anything...

The stripes have come out perfectly - so unbelievably clever! I love dress with the red accessories too. And some of the photos are just stunning - the depth of field one with you just out of focus is really fabulous! Kx

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Hello there! I'm Bianca and here on The Closet Historian I study and recreate vintage fashions-- sketching, pattern drafting, and sewing my way to a vintage inspired wardrobe. I also occasionally attempt knitting, travel as far and wide as I can, and make videos over on YouTube, all while writing a novel on the side.